Finkelstein Thompson is investigating the response by Audi and Volkswagen to the defective Takata airbags, and their responses to their customers’ concerns over the replacement and/or repairs of the defective Takata airbags.

Adore Organic Innovation may be selling premium anti-aging products that are not as effective as advertised. The products contain plant stem cells, which allegedly slow the aging process but scientific evidence may not support those claims.

Rite Aid has a program called the “Rx Savings Program”, which apparently allows cash-paying customers to purchase generic drugs at significantly lower prices. However, it is alleged that Rite Aid may not extend this pricing discount to customers who pay using insurance.

Annie's Homegrown Salad Dressing may contain a synthetic ingredient, despite claims that the dressings are "all natural." The synthetic ingredient, xanthan gum, is not naturally occurring and is listed among the ingredients on the back of most bottles and on the company's website.

Just for Men's "Jet Black" hair, beard and mustache dye allegedly contains large amounts of p-Phenylenediamine (PPD), an organic aromatic chemical compound that produces a dark color pigment when exposed to an oxidizing agent. PPD has been known to cause adverse side effects, such as renal failure and convulsions.

A complaint has been filed alleging that Honda Motor Company has been concealing a problem with the starter system in two popular models: the Accord and the Crosstour. The allegedly defective starter system results in battery and/or motor failure, rendering the vehicles inoperable.

Walgreens, the second largest pharmacy chain in the United Sates, fills millions of prescriptions every month, including generic drug prescriptions. Generic drugs, which are equivalent to brand-name medications, are usually a less expensive option for many consumers. Walgreens has a program called the “Prescription Savings Club”, which apparently allows cash-paying customers to purchase generic drugs at significantly lower prices.

A complaint has been
filed alleging that Burger King promotes a buy one get one free Croissan’wich
breakfast, but then charges the customer an inflated price for the breakfast
sandwich. Purportedly, rather than paying the original price and getting
a second Croissan’wich for free, customers may be paying an inflated priced for
the original Croissan’wich to obtain the second one for “free”.

Customers have been complaining about SquareTrade Protection Plans, warranties on certain products that can be purchased through Amazon. SquareTrade is allegedly showing customers a set of Terms and Conditions before they purchase the product and then enforcing a different, more restrictive, set of Terms and Conditions after purchase.

Some 2016 and all 2017 Tesla S and X models might not be equipped with a functional Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) safety feature, which is supposed to be standard and operable up to 90 mph. AEB is a "collusion avoidance assist" feature that automatically engages the brakes to reduce the impact of an unavoidable front-end collision. The problem may effect all S and X models that were produced between October 19, 2016 and now.

General Motors may have installed software in two models of heavy-duty diesel trucks that allows the trucks to cheat on emissions tests. These “Defeat Devices,” allegedly minimize the emission of nitrogen oxide while the vehicles were being tested but allow the vehicles to emit 2 to 5 times as much nitrogen oxide under normal driving conditions.

Urbani Truffles USA, Inc. might be misleading customers by selling Urbani White Truffle Oil and Urbani Black Truffle Oil that is actually made with a chemically-derived perfume known as “2,4-dithiapentane”. Urbani labels its Truffle Oils to advertise that they contain “White Truffles” and “Black Truffles”. In actuality, they could be using 2,4-dithiapentane, also know as “formaldehyde dimethyl mercaptal”, a synthetically prepared acid that emulates the taste and smell of truffles.

The factory-installed heating, ventilating and air conditioning system (HVAC) in many Mercedes may accumulate mold and mildew, causing an unbearable moldy smell in the passenger cabin. This may be caused by a defective evaporator, which removes the condensation that builds up in the HVAC system. This problem allegedly persists even after the cabin air filter has been replaced and/or the HVAC system has been flushed.

Audi may have equipped its gasoline-powered vehicles with illegal software that falsely identifies the level of carbon dioxide being emitted, thereby circumventing government emissions regulations. The carbon dioxide emission levels allegedly differ based on the vehicle's mode. Specifically, the "warm-up" mode may reduce the engine speed, consume less fuel, and produce less carbon dioxide.

There have been recent revelations that Samsung Electronics, and several of its subsidiaries, may have been installing recording devices inside of Smart TVs. According to certain consumers, Samsung and its subsidiaries, deceived and mislead customers by installing software that outside parties could use to spy on Samsung customers’ private conversations, even when the device is “off.”

Blu Products Inc. and Shanghai Adups Technology Ltd. might have sold their mobile phones with software that intercepts private and personal activity and data. It is possible that that software, pre-installed on the phone could intercept consumers’ personal activities. Furthermore, if this is true, Blu Products then failed to inform consumers about the existence of the spyware.

Customers at Sports Warehouse’s online stores such as: Tennis-Warehouse.com, RacquetballWarehouse.com, TotalPicketball.com, RidingWarehouse.com, DerbyWarehouse.com, IceWarehouse.com, and InlineWarehouse.com might have been deceived by the company Sports Warehouse with potentially false sales. Some allege that the “sales” advertised on the website, were not actual discounts on products sold by Sports Warehouse.

There
are many types of protein powder sold in the United States. Customers rely on
the protein and purity claims on the labels to make purchasing decisions.
However, some consumers claim that several companies, specifically Core
Formulations, Biohealth, and Rogue Nutrition, spike their protein powder with
amino acids rather than providing the complete proteins that they advertise.
Allegedly, these companies add amino acids, which are a lot cheaper than
complete proteins, to fool the nitrogen testing conducted to determine protein
content.

Some Charter customers are complaining that Charter-Spectrum Communications, the internet provider, sells high-speed internet plans, and then provides older modems and wireless routers that cannot support the promised Internet speeds. Furthermore, it has been alleged that Charter has failed to provide sufficient network and infrastructure to enable consumers with new modems and routers to achieve the advertised Internet speeds. If this is the case, due to Charter’s choices, it might have become impossible to fulfill their promises of providing “fast, reliable Internet speeds.”

Lenny and Larry’s created a “Complete Cookie”, with eleven different flavor variations, as a health food. They advertise with the tagline “Vegan, Non-GMO, Kosher, and contain no soy, artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols” as well as offering that the products contain “Plant-Based Protein to Build Lean Muscle”. Lenny and Larry’s target individuals looking for more ways to eat healthy. In fact, they tell customers on the nutrition label and on the packaging that there is 16g of protein in every 4 oz. cookie, as is the cookies are a replacement protein shake.

One result of the Charter and Time Warner Cable merger is an alleged new monthly “Broadcast TV Surcharge” of $4.47. The fee is problematic because Charter advertises one set of prices and then, allegedly, through fees like the “Broadcast TV Surcharge,” actually charges a much higher price for their basic services.

Experian
is one of the country’s three largest credit reporting agencies. According to
the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Experian allegedly developed
“educational credit scores,” such as the PLUS Score. The CFPB purports
that Experian violates the Dodd-Frank Act by concealing the true use of some of
the credit scores it offered. According to the CFPB, from 2012-2014
Experian marketed the “educational credit scores” to customers, as if those
credit scores were used by lenders.

Mazda
offered a factory-installed navigation system on its 2016 model year
vehicles. Consumers could purchase the “Grand Touring Package,” which
included real-time or live traffic alerts, at an additional cost to the base
price of the 2016 vehicles. However, a few months in, Mazda allegedly
removed the traffic software without notifying their customers.

After many complaints, some consumers who purchased that LG V10, LG G4, and LG Nexus 5X smartphones have alleged a very serious defect. According to some the phone suffers from a “bootloop” defect. The defect supposedly appears without warning and the phone begins to turn off and the then get stuck on the “Life’s Good” screen.

Over the last few years, numerous studies have extoled the virtues of Omega-3 Fatty Acids, often found in fish. A supplement market has arisen, selling fish oil pills. Customers who buy these pills believe that the product contains the advertised amount of Omega-3 Fatty Acids that the Kirkland Brand Signature Wild Alasakan Fish Oil soft gel pills, and base their purchases on Costco’s good word.

Nature’s Bounty Inc., claims that consuming its supplements, which are rich in biotin and other B vitamins, yields excellent health benefits, such as healthier hair, skin, and nails. However, scientific evidence suggests that the supplements may be ineffective, because most people consume more than enough biotin and other B vitamins in their everyday diets.

It has been alleged that Inventure Foods, the creator and seller
of the Boulder Canyon branded snack chips labels its products with Evaporated
Cane Juice (“ECJ”) listed among the ingredients. However, according to the Food
and Drug Administration labeling an ingredient “Evaporated Cane Juice” is
misleading, because ECJ is basically sugar.

Does your health insurance plan have pharmacy coverage through
UnitedHealthcare and OptumRx? The cost of certain prescription medications
purchased at your local pharmacy may actually be increased through a billing scheme known as a
“clawback.”

These days consumers are purchasing many subscriptions and
automatic/recurring deliveries of products and services online. These
subscriptions can be anything from coffee, study materials, cosmetics and
vitamins to data storage and magazine subscriptions. Many companies, including
Peet’s Coffee & Tea LLC or Study.com LLC, are allegedly failing to disclose a document that includes the automatic renewal offer terms,
automatically renewing subscriptions to these products and services, and
are automatically charging the debit or credit card account number provided for
the initial transaction. In some cases, consumers are signed up for
automatic renewals even when they just sign up for a free trial period of the
product or service.

St. John’s Wort Extract and St. John’s Wort are
supplements distributed by The Vitamin Shoppe and Whole Foods Market,
respectively. Recent studies have shown that either of these products may not
contain enough of the listed and advertised active ingredient. The ingredient
is Hypericin and certain watchdog groups, such as Consumer Labs, have tested both
products and found that there is less significantly less Hypericin than
advertised. The Vitamin Shoppe St. John’s
Wort Extract, was advertised that there was 0.9 mg to 2.7 mg in each pill.
However, testing may have shown that there might only be .036 mg to 0.11 mg
instead. Meanwhile, Whole Foods advertised a similar amount of Hypericin in
their products, and testing may have shown that the supplement only contains
58.6% of what was advertised.

If you purchased a “Fat” PS3 in the United States between November 1, 2006, and April 1, 2010, from an authorized retailer for family, personal, and/or household use, you are a Class Member and may be eligible to submit a claim to receive a cash payment.

Finkelstein
Thompson LLP is investigating claims against Niantic, Inc. (“Niantic”), The
Pokémon Company (Pokémon Co.”), and Nintendo Co. Ltd. (“Nintendo”). Earlier
this year, the immensely popular Pokémon Go smart phone game was
released. Pokémon Go is an augmented reality game, where players find
and “catch” Pokémon in their real environment, using the GPS, camera, and
gyroscope features on users’ mobile phones.

Finkelstein Thompson LLP is investigating allegations that
MyFord Touch and MyLincoln Touch touchscreen systems may be defective. Some
customers have claimed that the systems may crash, freeze, fail to respond to
voice and touch commands, as well as providing inaccurate GPS information and
unable to connect to mobile phones and iPods.

Finkelstein Thompson LLP is investigating claims that Beanfields Snacks Corporation (Beanfields) has engaged in deceptive and misleading business practices. Many customers counted on Beanfields’ claim the products are “All Natural” and it is alleged that Beanfields actually uses multiple synthetic ingredients such as lactic acid, citric acid, and maltodrextrin.

Finkelstein Thompson is investigating the closure of ITT
Technical Institute , a for-profit university. ITT Tech just lost its federal
funding and its accreditation. Many students have been left in the lurch
because of the school’s closing. Students may
have suffered financial damage frompaying for a degree that has no value , or paying for credits that they have been unable to transfer. Students may have also taken out loans that they are unable to
discharge.

Finkelstein Thompson LLP is investigating claims that Sirius
XM misleadingly promised Lifetime subscriptions to
its satellite radio service. Some customers may
have purchased lifetime subscriptions at high upfront prices, with the
understanding that they would be able to access the service continually. Now,
Sirius XM is allegedly not honoring lifetime subscription it sold to its early
customers without conditions.

Wells Fargo & Company
disclosed on September 7, 2016, that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
had fined the company $100 million for secretly opening over 2 million
unauthorized deposit and credit card accounts since 2011 in order to meet
performance goals. Wells Fargo’s conduct has also resulted in millions
in refunds to affected customers, the initiation of other governmental
investigations and sanctions, lawsuits by former employees alleging they
were wrongfully terminated, and securities fraud, class action lawsuits.

On March 23, 2016, the Judge in the Peterson v. CJ America, Inc. class
action, pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District
of California, entered an Order Preliminarily Approving the class action
settlement. The Court has scheduled a hearing for September 30, 2016 to
consider a motion for final approval of the settlement. For more
information please visit the settlement website at www.noMSGaddedsettlement.com

Finkelstein Thompson is investigating Yahoo after
revelations that 500 million users may have been affected by an email hack in
2014. In a statement on September 22nd,
Yahoo said user information, including names, email addresses telephone
numbers, birthdates, encrypted password, and, in some cases, security questions
were compromised. Your account and email may have been affected by the breach.

San Francisco, Calif. – (April 21, 2016) – The MDL Plaintiffs' Steering Committee leading the Volkswagen Emissions "Defeat Device" consumer class actions is pleased to announce that they have reached an Agreement in Principle with Volkswagen regarding the claims of all 2.0 liter TDI owners and lessees. The agreement is an important first step in the effort to obtain full compensation for consumers and remediation of the environment impact caused by excessive emissions.

Allegations have surfaced that Mercedes-Benz, the
German-based car company, installed “defeat devices” in their diesel
vehicles that let them ace emissions inspections while otherwise producing
pollutants at many times allowed levels. Mercedes marketed certain of its
BlueTec diesel vehicles as :“Earth-Friendly”
and "the world’s cleanest and most advanced
diesel” engines, with “ultra-low emissions, high fuel economy and responsive
performance.”

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission recently proposed regulations to implement Title III of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (“JOBS”) Act and Section 4(a)(6) to the Securities Act of 1933 in which Congress created an exemption to securities registration requirements that would equity-based crowdfunding. As a firm with more than four decades of experience in securities law, Finkelstein Thompson LLP is actively engaged in the development of this new industry and submitted comments in response to the SEC’s proposed rules.

PlayStation®3 (“PS3”) owners won a significant appeal that will allow consumers to pursue their claims that Sony caused damages by disabling the heavily advertised ability to run another operating system and use the PS3 as a computer.

Shareholders who participated in Facebook’s (NASDAQ: FB) botched IPO won a victory on December 11, 2013, when Judge Sweet of the Southern District of New York rejected NASDAQ’s (NASDAQ: NDAQ) motion to dismiss a class action lawsuit alleging NASDAQ negligently failed to properly test and design its systems.

On December 5, 2013, the Honorable Timothy S. Black issued an important notice in the case titled In re Dry Max Pampers Litigation, which is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. The litigation relates to the marketing and sales of Dry Max Pampers.

Finkelstein Thompson LLP is pleased to announce that the Honorable Philip Gutierrez of the United States District Court, Central District of California, granted preliminary approval of a $7,750,000 million dollar settlement with Allergan, Inc. in the case titled, Dr. Julio Garcia v. Allergan, Inc., Case No. CV 11-9811-PSG (Ex). The settlement resolves a nationwide class action suit against Allergan based on allegations that the company promoted the use of one vial of BOTOX® Cosmetic on more than one patient. The lawsuit did not allege that BOTOX® Cosmetic is unsafe or ineffective. Allergan denies the allegations.

Recently the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission ("CPSC") announced a voluntary recall of the Flushmate III Pressure-Assisted Flushing System ("Flushmate III"). The Flushmate III presents a hazard of bursting at or near the vessel weld seam with a force strong enough to shatter the tank. The CPSC has already received 304 reports of the product bursting, resulting in property damage and 14 impact or laceration injuries.

On November 16, 2011, the Circuit Court of Oregon, Multnomah County, entered a judgment and opinion granting final approval of a settlement providing $1.5 million to former shareholders of Merix Corporation. Finkelstein Thompson LLP ("FT") was appointed Co-Lead Counsel in this securities class action alleging that the Merix Board of Directors breached their fiduciary duties to Merix shareholders in connection with the approval of a merger with Viasystems Group, Inc. in October 2009. The certified class consists of all persons who held any Merix common stock continuously from October 6, 2009 through and including February 16, 2010.